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Service to Beaverton

Businesses and individuals earn honors for their community work at awards ceremony

Individuals and organizations were recognized for their long-term contributions to the Beaverton community before a packed house Tuesday at the annual Service to Beaverton awards luncheon at Big Al's restaurant on Barrows Road.

Mayor Dennis Doyle and Wendi Eiland, chairwoman of the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce, hosted the event, which was sponsored by the city of Beaverton, the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce, Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District and Hall Street Grill.

Among a sold-out, standing-room only crowd of 175 attendees, Doyle and Eiland presented the service awards to winners in several categories.

Chosen by their peers from a pool of nominees, winners this year - unlike at previous events, where they were notified in advance - didn't learn their winning status until their names were announced at the ceremony.

The Service to Beaverton award winners, who will be featured in the Beaverton Celebration Day parade on Saturday, Aug. 29, were selected on their commitment in the past year to:

Implementing or assisting in implementation of outstanding projects and services;

Enriching and revitalizing the community and neighborhoods; and

Demonstrating responsiveness, creativity and civic values.

Doyle praised the winners for devoting time and energy toward making the community a better place.

'The Service to Beaverton Awards are just one way that we can recognize the invaluable contributions volunteers make in our community,' he said. 'It is the willingness of residents to take time out of their busy lives to help others that makes Beaverton such a vibrant place to live.'

At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, Council President Cathy Stanton praised the size, enthusiasm and spirit of the gathering.

'Thank God I wasn't on one of the bodies to have to pick one (winner),' she said. 'I could not imagine what scores they used.

'What we do in our community, through helping each other, is overwhelming sometimes. And, today was one of those days - to be overwhelmed.'

Councilor Betty Bode also spoke highly of the event, which brought together a variety of citizens, law enforcement officers, fire and rescue personnel, businesspeople and merchants, to celebrate community spirit.

'The whole thing (focused) on volunteerism and the different forms it can take,' she said. 'It included all different ages and was incredibly community based. I think it was a great event.'

The award winners included:

Business Award - Lanphere Enterprises: Serving Beaverton since 1964, Lanphere Construction and Development contributed staff time and nearly $20,000 worth of materials and equipment to build an awning for the facility housing the Beaverton School District Clothes Closet and the Beaverton Family Resource Center.

Lanphere Enterprises donates space and resources for the Broadway Festival activities connected with Beaverton's Celebration Day. When the Domestic Violence Resource Center needed a location to host its annual fundraiser, Lanphere Enterprises offered one of its buildings.

Individual Award - Linda Sneddon: Sneddon serves as president of Beaverton Together, a community anti-drug coalition. Prior to accepting this volunteer position, she served on Beaverton Together's board of directors for more than 10 years.

Under Sneddon's leadership, Beaverton Together works to combat misconceptions about drug and alcohol use in Beaverton's youth through the 'Because We Can' campaign.

The group aims to show teens that their peers aren't using drugs or alcohol at the rates they often believe they are and empowers them to make informed decisions about alcohol and drug use. The group also hosts alcohol-free tailgate parties before high school football games and other sporting events so students can have fun in an alcohol-free environment.

Emerging Leader - Yamini Naidu: A sophomore at Valley Catholic High School, Naidu has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average while sitting on the Mayor's Youth Advisory Board and the Beaverton Committee for Citizen Involvement.

As part of the board, Naidu was instrumental in organizing the Beaverton Youth Summit, which invited more than 100 high school students to participate in small group discussions about issues teens face today and in the future.

In an effort to get more teen volunteers, Naidu and the board also hosted the Youth Involvement Fair in May. The fair had more than 20 booths showcasing volunteer opportunities for students in Beaverton.

Naidu also volunteers in the biomedical and pharmacology research labs at Oregon Health Science University.

Naidu's research at OHSU has won several awards, and she will be presenting some of her research at the National Institute of Health in Washington, D.C., in August. Doyle selected her to represent Beaverton in the National League of Cities Conference this year.

Educator/ Teacher Award - Sho Shigeoka: In her role as equity coordinator for the Beaverton School District, Sho Shigeoka exemplifies innovative service as a strong advocate for Beaverton's minority students and their families. With the intent of building a learning environment where student success can't be predicted by race or other social factors, Shigeoka facilitates experiences for administrators and teachers to develop self-awareness, knowledge and skills in addressing issues about race.

Through book groups, workshops, an annual Diversity Summit and other opportunities, Shigeoka helps to form an equitable atmosphere for all students by creating culturally competent administrators and teachers.

Neighborhood Association Committee Member - Paul Roder: Recognized for his work as chairman of the Central Beaverton Neighborhood Association Committee, Roder has been instrumental in guiding the committee's financial and creative achievements.

With Roder's help, the committee has written four grants and tripled the profits of its booth at the Beaverton Farmers Market. His work as a NAC leader helps keep his neighbors informed about local activities, projects and neighborhood concerns.

Roder is also involved in the neighborhood committee's annual Theatre in the Park program, including directing and producing this year's play, 'Is He Dead?' which will debut Thursday at Beaverton City Library. Additionally, as a member of the board of directors of the Beaverton Civic Theatre, Roder does everything from securing donations of costumes and props to organizing the group's parade float, which won the Beaverton Celebration Parade's Most Comedic Float in 2009 and 2010.

Organization Award - Love, INC of Greater Beaverton: For the past five years, Love, INC has helped thousands of disadvantaged individuals and families in the Beaverton community get the resources they need.

Love, INC's 'Packed With Love' program has provided more than 2,000 local students with new backpacks filled with school supplies. The program helps to ensure all Beaverton students have the supplies they need to be successful in school. Love, INC is also the only organization in Beaverton that delivers beds, dressers, sofas and tables to Beaverton residents who otherwise would not have a way of getting these resources to their homes.